More than 300,000 Kansas City area kids could get bigger tax credit. The deadline is Monday
Monday is the last day for families to apply to get payments from the expanded child tax credit this year. The credit is a monthly payment to help families cover the costs of raising children.
More than 314,000 children in the Kansas City area are eligible for the credit. If you’re not enrolled, you may still be eligible for the benefit, especially if your income was too low to pay taxes in 2019 or 2020.
U.S. Rep. Sharice Davids of Kansas estimated that this federal credit could reduce child poverty in Kansas by as much as 40%, Kids in Missouri and every other state are eligible too.
“As someone who was raised by a single mom, we didn’t have a lot when I was growing up and when I think about the difference that monthly amount would have made in our lives, it’s pretty staggering,” Davids said during a virtual news conference earlier this spring. “That’s more money for more families to put toward food, childcare, diapers, healthcare, education and so much more.”
The American Rescue plan, signed into law by President Joe Biden, increased the child tax credit to provide up to $300 per month per child under age 6, totaling $3,600 a year and up to $250 a month for children ages 6 to 17, adding up to $3,000 a year.
There are only a few days left to apply for the credit using this online tool, which closes on Monday Nov. 15.
Here’s how to enroll.
Who’s eligible
Single parents earning up to $75,000 and couples earning up to $150,000 annually are eligible for the full credit. You can check if your family is eligible with the Internal Revenue Service’s Child Tax Credit Eligibility Assistant tool.
The steps
If you’ve submitted a 2019 or 2020 tax return to the IRS, then you don’t need to do anything else. The IRS has enough information to send you the credit if you qualify.
If you haven’t submitted tax returns or earned less than $12,400 on your own or less than $24,800 combined with a spouse, GetGTC is the tool for you. This site was created to get families their child tax credit and stimulus payments if they haven’t received those yet. It’ll walk you through each and every step required to ensure your eligibility for the credits.
Before using the tool, you’ll need the following:
Social Security numbers for your children and Social Security Numbers for you and your spouse
A reliable mailing address
E-mail address or phone number
If you want to receive payments by direct deposit, a bank account
Families enrolling now will receive one large check with the entire first half of advance payments. Families that don’t enroll or opt out will still receive the benefit, just in a lump sum in 2022.
Do you have questions about how other government programs work or how to access them? You can ask our Service Journalism team to look into what you want to know at kcq@kcstar.com or using this form.